Katie is used to being outnumbered by males in the household, but this past week was a new record. Katie was outnumbered 8 to 1. Besides the Isaza boys, we hosted Jordan who is a Serve Globally summer intern, along with a father and 3 sons from Libertyville Covenant Church.

A team from Libertyville Covenant came to serve alongside our Colombian Covenant ministries in Medellin for a week and we had the pleasure of hosting Kirk Johnson, a former missionary kid in Colombia, and his 3 sons (ages 12-16). As you can imagine there was lively conversation (much of it revolved around soccer), impromptu soccer games, introducing our guests to the yummy variety of fruits and foods here in Colombia, and hearing about the different things that impacted them as they served here in Colombia.

It was a special week of serving as a team as we partnered with the local Covenant elementary school to offer English language learning through Bible stories, soccer skills practice and games in the afternoons, and help with a construction project on their forth floor. The last day the children at the school put together a special thank you assembly that included traditional dance, song, and special cards and gifts for the team.

In addition to serving in the school, one of the highlights of the week for the guys in our house was the time spent with the 11 boys living at the Peace House. Through soccer, play, and time spent together talking they were able to build relationships and share encouragement and love with one another. The boys loved the opportunity to play soccer with big kids and they were all awarded medals for their participation. It’s always a privilege to be a bridge between cultures, languages, and brothers and sisters from different countries. There is such richness in sharing our lives with one another, affirming one another, and serving one another.